Kirkstall Brewery in Leeds has a Taproom and Kitchen on Kirkstall Road not far from the Fire Station and the Holiday Inn Express City Centre Hotel where we were staying

On their website they suggest to “Drink the freshest Kirkstall beer in the building where it is made” carrying on by telling is that they have “The freshest Kirkstall beer across nineteen lines” and again tempting us with the idea that we could “Enjoy a pizza and a pint in a traditional pub setting whilst gazing upon the modern stainless steel brewery“

Look if they put a brewery a mere 5 minute walk away from my hotel and a taproom & kitchen that serves pizza they cannot expect me to resist an opportunity to visit.

That was how it transpired when we came to Leeds to do the Wild in Art Bear Trail and any rumors that we came here to the Kirkstall Brewery Taproom every evening for a beer will draw a response of no comment 😎

In summary We drank some beer and ate some pizza

KIRKSTALL PIZZA MENU

The Kirkstall collection section of the pizza menu listed some rather interesting combinations of toppings. The new kid on the block Nduja featured a couple of times alongside Tuna for one pizza which felt a bit random. Chorizo got to come out to play featured along with Goats Cheese, and they even were pairing Honey and Stilton on another pizza.

They all sounded interesting but they were to be no match for the Marmite Rarebit which was to be the pizza which we chose to take a punt on

MARMITE RAREBIT PIZZA

The Marmite Rarebit pizza was described on the menu as being topped with “Marmite & Virtuous Bechamel, Fior di Latte Mozzarella, Red Leicester, Gran Moravia Parmesan, Black Pepper, Chives”

It sounded interesting enough to take a gamble on but in the same vein that you just get a half a pint of a random beer before investing in a whole pint we were getting the 8 inch sized pizza for £6 instead of the 12 inch one for £12.

I like Marmite but I am very much in the camp of just having a little bit on my toast I am not one for overdoing it and that was very much how the marmite had been used in this pizza with plenty of restraint. The flavor was there but it didn’t over power your tastebuds.

I liked it, the bechamel making up the white pizza base topping and the cheese and marmite creating a soft texture and a salty umami hit to the palate. We enjoyed this pizza enough that next time we would happily order the full package and get the 12 inch pizza.

CLASSIC PIZZA MENU

The next section of the menu said ‘classics’ and I was pleased to see the Quattro Formaggi featuring on the list. I was intrigued by the four cheeses selected as toppings with Red Leicester and Blue Stilton included alongside the more familiar mozzarella and parmesan. Bold choices I thought, maybe a different day I would have to check that out

The Margherita, Fungi or even the Vegetarian pizza could all have been safe options but I was always going to looking for some meat on my slice so all three missed out their chance of getting onto the pizza podium

PEPPERONI PIZZA

The second pizza that we shared came from this Classic Pizza section of the menu and of course being a devout meat lover I was picking the one topped with Pepperoni, San Marzano Tomato, Mozzarella, Pickled Jalapeno, and Fresh Basil for £12

This Pepperoni pizza was a much safer choice and a lot more familiar. I loved the meaty and salty pepperoni slices, and the sweet tomato sauce along with the freshness of the basil leaves were all music to the taste buds

I would have preferred less of the fiery pickled jalapeno and ended up pulling off and discarding quite a few of the spicy green slices from my slices as they were just too spicy for me.

It would have been ok but they were hidden too well in amongst the gooey cheese so my first few bites had my mouth on fire with the unexpected hit of chili, I needed fair warning 🤣

All in all though it was a very good pizza, nice crust and plenty of toppings and I suppose that spice did it’s job as I needed a couple of beers to wash it away and to soothe the mouth. Well that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it!

I really liked the Kirkstall Brewery Taproom and that’s no surprise really as they have really good beers and tasty pizza. We came here over a few nights and it was a very popular and occasionally noisy spot to hang out in. It was a lot of fun and if I lived in Leeds I could easily see this place becoming a regular haunt.

Located at 100 Kirkstall Road, Leeds, LS3 1HJ it is about a 20 minute walk from the city centre or a short bus hop / taxi ride. You can check them out on their website, their Twitter feed, Facebook page and Instagram profile,